Looks like I had a post back in '07--maybe time for an update. Basically any IPA with Alexander Keith's being a favorite I learned about whilst in Toronto. Can't find it in NJ/PA/DE though which is a bummer....

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"Martin Brodeur is the gold standard of goaltending -- the model of character, consistency and commitment to the craft. A champion. A winner above all.

"It is difficult to imagine any player who is more universally, and deservedly, respected. The National Hockey League is extremely proud of Martin, his historic achievement and his enduring contribution to our game."

If you like Hoppy beer done right try Hopalotmus from River Horse. Good stuff

Got into River Horse recently too and they have some very good stuff.

I went to the Washington Crossing Brewfest last week and they had about 50-60 breweries such as Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Yuengling, River Horse, Triumph, Elysian, etc... After having some of my favorites, I tended to try those I was unfamiliar with.

Some of breweries that stuck out to me were Founders, Weyerbacher, 21st Amendment, and East Coast Brewing Company. East Coast was probably the smallest of the entire festival and they are located at Pt. Pleasant, NJ. I had their summer ale or lager and it was quite good. A lot of potential with them and they only started in 2007.

One of the more unusual beers I had there was Watermelon Ale from 21st Amendment. It was quite good with pretty stong Watermelon flavor.

Each brewery brought 2 different kinds of beers with them and for the most part it was a lot of Hefeweizens, Summer Ales, and Dubbels and Trippels. There were also a few Summer Ales/Lagers and stouts thrown in for good measure, but you are hard pressed to find Pilsners (But I also understand it is a lot tougher for these microbrews to create Pilsners with their equipment). I wish I could tell you more about it but I had a little too many samples if you know what I mean and some of them I only remember getting the beer and barely drinking them:)

One of the more unusual beers I had there was Watermelon Ale from 21st Amendment. It was quite good with pretty stong Watermelon flavor.

Have you had River Horse's oatmeal milk stout? It was a one-off as part of their brewer's reserve series last year and this past fall or winter they made it part of their seasonal lineup. I think it's awesome.

Founders I think is my favorite brewery, they make great beers. What did they bring to the brewfest? I highly recommend Devil Dancer if you're into hoppy beers, should be coming out in the next two months. Their Breakfast Stout, Backwoods Bastard (scotch ale aged in bourbon barrels), and KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout, coffee stout aged in bourbon barrels) are also awesome.

I've seen that watermelon ale in stores a few times. I always thought it was interesting but never bought it, since you say it's good I think I'll pick it up next time. Seems like it could be a good summer beer.

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"Swim against the tide, don't follow the group, stay away from the majority, seek out the fresh and new, stay away from the poseurs, and don't be a barnacle. Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan."
--John Buccigross

Have you had River Horse's oatmeal milk stout? It was a one-off as part of their brewer's reserve series last year and this past fall or winter they made it part of their seasonal lineup. I think it's awesome.

Founders I think is my favorite brewery, they make great beers. What did they bring to the brewfest? I highly recommend Devil Dancer if you're into hoppy beers, should be coming out in the next two months. Their Breakfast Stout, Backwoods Bastard (scotch ale aged in bourbon barrels), and KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout, coffee stout aged in bourbon barrels) are also awesome.

I've seen that watermelon ale in stores a few times. I always thought it was interesting but never bought it, since you say it's good I think I'll pick it up next time. Seems like it could be a good summer beer.

I am not really a fan of the stouts and tend to stay away from them. Once in a while I will venture and have some if they are particularly interesting (Triumph Brewing of New Hope right now has a Brunch Stout which has oatmeal, coffee, milk, sugar, and chocolate and it works pretty well). I might give River Horse's Stout a try though if I can find it on tap someplace.

For Founders if I can remember right (again I apologize as I over-indulged that day) they had the Pale Ale and Centennial IPA. I might be wrong but I think that is correct.

All the beers there were quite good and non stuck out to me as being bad. I tried about 20-25 different breweries and each had 2 options and they were mostly Hefeweizens, Trippels, Dubbels, Summer Ales/Lagers and IPA's so they all kinda blended into each other. Next time I have to bring a notebook with me or something.

Port 44's stout is awesome, it's up there with Exit 16 as my two favorite New Jersey beers. Honorable mention goes to Exit 4, River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout and Hipp-o-lantern, and Climax Nut Brown Ale. I also really like Cricket Hill's reserve series bourbon barrel aged porter, but some bottles I had of that were nowhere near as good as others, it was weird.

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"Swim against the tide, don't follow the group, stay away from the majority, seek out the fresh and new, stay away from the poseurs, and don't be a barnacle. Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan."
--John Buccigross

Port 44's stout is awesome, it's up there with Exit 16 as my two favorite New Jersey beers. Honorable mention goes to Exit 4, River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout and Hipp-o-lantern, and Climax Nut Brown Ale. I also really like Cricket Hill's reserve series bourbon barrel aged porter, but some bottles I had of that were nowhere near as good as others, it was weird.

I'll have to make a note to try those, thanks.Is that Exit 16 the one made by Flying Fish? I ask because I recently tried the Hopfish IPA (made by Flying Fish) and didn't much care for it.

I'll have to make a note to try those, thanks.Is that Exit 16 the one made by Flying Fish? I ask because I recently tried the Hopfish IPA (made by Flying Fish) and didn't much care for it.

Yea this is it. I think I've tried Hopfish once and didn't think much of it either. Exit 16 was great though. Unfortunately you won't be able to try it unless they make it part of their regular lineup, which is a good possibility based on what a rep told me at a tap takeover about a month ago.

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"Swim against the tide, don't follow the group, stay away from the majority, seek out the fresh and new, stay away from the poseurs, and don't be a barnacle. Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan."
--John Buccigross

Took a tour a few days ago of the Taybeh Brewery. It's in the West Bank, andthe only microbrewery in the Middle East. They really knew their stuff, and I loved that their beer is made with water from a nearby spring. They have 5 varieties (the Gold was best), 1 non-alcoholic, but don't export to America yet. Look em up, maybe request at your local merchant.

I've never had an oatmeal, breakfast or brunch stout, but of the few stouts I've had, I've liked them all, so I look forward to trying them.

Has anyone ever been to Defiant Brewery in Pearl River, N.Y.? They make a nice stout as well as a very good porter -- at least to my liking.

Also the stout at Port 44 was very good too.

...

Does anyone have a favorite New Jersey-based brew/brewery?

I am partial to Triumph so I would say them. Next on the list is a 3-way tie with Long Valley Brewing, Trap Rock, and River Horse.

Trap rock is def a hidden gem in NJ. Located in Berkeley Heights and it is a brewpub. However, like a lot of other brewpubs, it falls in the trap of being over-fancy and pretentious, so the bill will be pretty high if you order food. Also, I think the food there is just so-so. I would recommend going to 3 West in Basking Ridge right off of exit 33 on rt 78. It is not cheap either but it more reasonable than Trap Rock, have much better food, and they also have a deal with Trap Rock where they serve their beer.

Oh man I had one of the Aecht Schlenkerla rauchbiers once and I hated it. I'll probably end up trying it again sometime, maybe my tastes have changed.

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"Swim against the tide, don't follow the group, stay away from the majority, seek out the fresh and new, stay away from the poseurs, and don't be a barnacle. Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan."
--John Buccigross

Oh man I had one of the Aecht Schlenkerla rauchbiers once and I hated it. I'll probably end up trying it again sometime, maybe my tastes have changed.

Haha yeah it is an acquired taste. Triumph makes theirs pretty wall and it goes down smoothly. It kinda taste like bacon in a sense and since bacon is the sliced meat of the gods, by my logic rauchbier = awesome.

Went beer shopping today, gearing up fo Memorial Day Weekend. Sad to say I couldn't find most of the beers some of you people recommended. My local beer/wine store carried many of the labels mentioned -- such as Founders, River Horse, Long Trail, etc. -- but almost none of the exact flavors I was looking for. I ended buying some others that I heard were good.

I guess I should have mentioned a lot of my recommendations aren't available right now.

The four Founders beers I mentioned (KBS, Backwoods Bastard, Devil Dancer, and Breakfast Stout) are seasonals, you most likely won't find them in stores now. KBS came out in March, Backwoods Bastard comes out I think in the fall, Devil Dancer should be out in a month or two, and Breakfast Stout comes out in I think the fall. I have been impressed with I think every beer I've had by them though, just those three stick out to me the most.

You should be able to find the Stone beers I recommended (Old Guardian, Imperial Russian Stout, and Ruination in any store that carries Stone.

River Horse Hipp-o-lantern was a one-time only brew, and Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is a fall seasonal. Hopefully River Horse makes Hipp-o-lantern a fall seasonal too. River Horse's Oatmeal Milk Stout comes out in either the fall or winter.

The exit series by Flying Fish is a bunch of one-time only beers, except they made Exit 4 part of their regular lineup so the only exit beers available now are Exit 4 and I think you can still find the most recent release, which is Exit 9 (Hoppy Scarlet Ale).

Climax Nut Brown Ale is available now at whatever stores carry Climax.

Cricket Hill's bourbon barrel aged porter isn't available anymore, it was a one-time deal as part of their brewer's reserve series.

Sorry if you wasted time and effort looking for any of my suggestions that aren't available.

Edited by devilsfan26, 28 May 2011 - 09:42 AM.

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"Swim against the tide, don't follow the group, stay away from the majority, seek out the fresh and new, stay away from the poseurs, and don't be a barnacle. Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan."
--John Buccigross